Glass handling apparatus



1932- J. P. CROWLEY GLASS HANDLING APPARATUS ZSheetS-Sheet l Filed June 2'7, 1929 Jbse hDCrow/e '& 4 X

Aug. 16, 1932. J, p CROWLEY 1,872,413

GLASS HANDLING APPARATUS Filed June 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vAZ gwucnl oc O ose oh QCrow/ey Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED smm ,JPATENT orricr.

- JOSEBI-I P. on-owLn on ronnndfon ro, AssI Gno-B To IBBnY-ownns-ronn GLASS ooMr N or routine, entra n CORPORATION on'onro GLASS HANDLING v APPARATUS Application filed image, 1929; Serial No; 374,119.

- The invention relates to an apparatusand a process for turning over and transferring glass sheets or other flat sheets or plates. i

The apparatusis designed particularly for picking up glass sheets from a horizontal position upon one car or carrier on a track, turning them over, carrying them to another car or carrier upon the same or on'a second parallel track and depositing said sheets upon such other car or carrier in a horizontal position.

The invention has for its primary objects the provision of an improved method of procedure whereby the above process may be easily and readily practiced and in the provision of improved apparatus for carrying out the process, said apparatus being of sin 1- ple, durable and practical construction, by means of which the handling of the glass may be accomplished with rapidity, ease and safety.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of apparatus provided by the present invention, and 5 Fig. 2 is a side view thereof.

T he present invention is provided for use in connection with the grinding and polishing of sheetglass and is particularly adapted to that system wherein the sheets are carried upon movable cars or tables beneath a series of grinding and polishing machines.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 5 and 6 designate two parallel tracks of a grinding and polishing system upon which are mounted the cars or carriers 7 and 8 respectively which are passed beneath grinding and polishing machines (not shown) in order to surface the glass thereon. After one side of the glass sheets, carried by the cars 7, has been ground and polished the cars are returned to their starting position and the glass is transferred to the cars 8 and turned up side down so as to bring the unground and unpolished side of the glass uppermost, after which said 7 cars 8 are passed beneath grinders and polish ers to finish the surfacing of the glass.

1' The apparatus illustrated in the drawings to accomplish this function includes a vertically disposed supporting bracket or frame designated in its entirety by the numeral 9 and comprising thespaced parallel vertical side members 10 and 11. Carried at the lower end of the supporting bracket 9 are the two lifting frames 12 and 13 ,said frames being .pivotally mounted at their upper ends to said brackets as at 14 and 15 respectively so that eitherframe may be swung independently of the other frame to assume either a vertical position or a horizontal position. Each lifting frame 12 and 13 includes the side members 16 and 17 and the spaced longis tu'dinally extending members 318] and 19. Carried by each of the longitudinally extending members area plurality ofsheet engaging or sheet holding members 20 preferably inthe form of suction devices or cups. Communicating with the interior'of eachsuction cup is'a vacuum or suction tube 21 and said section tubes mayall vbe conveniently con.-

nected to a longitudinally extending-main tube or manifold 22 which in turn is con:- nected by a conduit 23 to a suitable suction creating device (not shown). Q U i:

The means for operating the lifting frames 12 and 13 to swing them either to a vertical position or a horizontal position includes a pair; of pulleys 24, and 25 positioned between the side members 10 and 11' of hanger bracket 93nd mounted upon a common shaft 26. Connected r s d to he ame 1- is. an arm 27 extending at substantially right'anr gles with respect thereto and a similar arm 28 is carried by the frame 13.- Attached to the arms 27 and 2,8 are ropes or cables 29 and m ed.- I

, In operation, the lifting frames l2and 1 3 are adapted to be normally maintained in a substantially vertical position and when in such position, the said frames are disposed opposite one another with the suction devices or cups 20 on the respective frames face to face. When it is desired to remove a glass sheet 33 from a car 7 on track 5, turn it up side down and lay it upon a car 8 on. track 6, the lifting frame 13 is first swung upwardly to its horizontal position as indicated by the full lines in Fig. 1, by pulling on cable 30.,

The sheet handling apparatus is then moved to bring the frame 13 to a position over car 7 after which the entire apparatus is lowered. until the suction devices carried by frame 13 engage the upper face of the glass sheet 33. The suction means isthen operated to create aosuction within the suction devices 20 so as to firmly attach the sheet thereto. After the desired suction has been set up, the entire device is raised andthis movement will lift the sheet 33 horizontally from car 7 The sheet 33 and frame 13 are then moved'clear of the table and the said frame lowered to bring the sheet toa vertical position as indicated'by thebroken lines in Fig. 1. When the frame 13 is lowered to its verticalposition, the suction devices 20 on the frame 12 will engage the opposite face of the sheet so that'the said sheet will be supported between the two lifting frames. A suitable suction is then set up within the suction devices 20 carried by lifting frame 12, after which the suction within the suction devices carried by lifting frame 13 is released so that the sheet will, in effect, be'transferred while in a vertical position from the frame 13 to frame 12. The frame 12 is then swung upwardly to a horizontal position by pulling on'cable 29 and when in a horizontal position, the lift mg frame and sheet are moved over the car 8, after which the'entire handling apparatus 7 'moving said framesindependently of one another including members carried by said supporting means, and flexible elements connected to said frames and trained about said members.

; Si ed at Toledo, inothe county of Lucas and tate' of Ohio, this 22nd day of June,

JOSEPH P. CROWLEY.

is lowered to bring the sheet to'rest horizontally upon the car 8, thuscompletingthe transfer and turningover of the sheet. It is to be understood that theform of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same, and that variouschanges in the shape, size and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I cla m:

7 1; In sheet glass handling apparatus of the character described, a supporting member, a pair of normally vertically positioned frames pivotally connected thereto at their upper ends and adapted to swingupwar'dly to a substantially horizontal position and downwardly back to a substantially vertical position, sheet lifting means carried by said vertical position, face one another, and means frames and which, when the frames are in for moving said frames independently of one 7 V p another including pulleys carried bysaid s'uporting member, and cables connected to said rames and trained about said pulleys. 

